FreeBird, Rara Avis: The beginning...

.

The Spring 2012 Freebird Collection could be summed up with a blending of spirit and color, however, as always there is more to the story...

Enter Iris Apfel.

. . In my research for this collection I kept running across images of Mrs. Apfel.

Whether it was editorials of her over-the top outfits (New York Times' Bill Cunningham loves her)...

or articles on her cluttered closet, (I want that jacket!)

or her jewelry collection for HSN (dang, this gal's got style!)

or most recently her collaborative with MAC Cosmetics (one word: beautiful)

I couldn't get Iris out of my mind so I ordered her book from the MET's 2005 exhibition of her private collection of accessories and clothing.

Rare Bird of Fashion: The Irreverent Iris Apfel (hence the name of our Spring Summer Collection, "Freebird"...) is filled from cover to cover with Iris' witty and exuberantly idiosyncratic outfits.

So, I'm flipping through the book and loving every page of it ...

and then BAM - I spot our Double D Ranch included in the exhibition!

....... yes, it is our Ojibwa Beaded Velvet Pillow - I knew I liked this 'ol gal!  So I keep flipping and...

BAM-BAM, there's our Metis Cree pillow in her Upper East Side apartment! .

I love that Iris is a free spirit... a "Freebird"!   Her style is literally all her own. She junks accessories together, piles patterned layers, and uses color from head to toe.

So thanks Iris for the inspiration and the hope that we can all be vibrant and young spirited women at 90!

. . . So drawing on Mrs. Apfel's  bohemian attributes, we knew exactly what we wanted for Double D Ranch's™ 2012  Spring Collection. We wanted it to be about mixing colors, fusing accessories, and being free to express yourself.... kind of  like 'free as bird' so to say.

.

.

.

Enter the "Freebird." By designing stud patterns in the shape of wings, feathered fowl graphics, even some intricate detail work like feather zipper ties, we had the start of our Freebird Spring 2012 Collection! . . . Freebird lent itself to Double D because for one reason, we've used feathers in the past. Typically they're popping out of an Indian chief's headdress! Also, like last Spring, we've done some ombré soiree coloring work in this collection. But I think that God has been ombre soirée'ing our flying friends for much longer than Double D has! So I knew Freebird would fit right in.

..

..

More About Iris Apfel:

• She is a nonagenarian, quirky fashion icon that inspires fashionistas at every age.

• Known for her 'devil may care' attitude for over the top dressing and 'more is more' theory when it comes to accessorizing.

• Her and her husband, Carl, founded Old World Weavers, a home furnishing textile company, in 1948.

• She, via Old World Weavers, helped to restore the White House under presidents: Truman, Eisenhower, Nixon, Kennedy, Johnson, Carter, Reagan, and Clinton.

• She made a cameo appearance in "Bill Cunningham New York," a documentary about the legendary street photographer for the New York Times.

• Her costume jewelry line, Rara Avis, debuted for HSN in 2011.

• Her just released line of bold lipsticks for MAC Cosmetics is already sold out online.

• At 90 years young, Iris still lectures and consults on fashion.

I just can't stop looking at her.   Here are a few more pics for you to enjoy.

. [caption id="attachment_14780" align="aligncenter" width="605" caption="Bill Cunningham & Iris Apfel, Bergdorf Goodman"][/caption] [caption id="attachment_14779" align="aligncenter" width="592" caption="Eccentric fashion icons Suzanne Golden, Patricia Fox, Lynn Yaeger, Iris Apfel and Tziporah Salamon, New York Times Magazine"][/caption] [caption id="attachment_14791" align="aligncenter" width="585" caption="3 Double D Ranch pillows and don't you just love the moccasins?"][/caption]

. .

.

.

.

[caption id="attachment_14787" align="aligncenter" width="601" caption="Iris Apfel in Tunis"][/caption]

.

[caption id="attachment_14786" align="aligncenter" width="599" caption="Nippon Vogue"][/caption]

.

[caption id="attachment_14785" align="aligncenter" width="591" caption="MAC Cosmetics"][/caption]

.

[caption id="attachment_14784" align="aligncenter" width="602" caption="Architectural Digest"][/caption]

.

.

[caption id="attachment_14781" align="aligncenter" width="600" caption="Rare Bird of Fashion"][/caption]

.

[caption id="attachment_14796" align="aligncenter" width="398" caption="Baubles from the MET Exhibition"][/caption]